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Press Release

Growing Interest in Organic Cotton the Result of Successful 1998 Market Outreach Initiative
Richmond, CA

The niche market in organically grown cotton is likely to gain ground in 1999, largely the result of an international initiative known as the Cleaner Cotton Campaign, launched in 1998 by the California-based Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP). Last summer, SCP initiated an outreach program to educate mainstream clothing manufacturers about the problems related to chemical-intensive cotton farming and about solution-oriented opportunities to incorporate organic fibers into existing product lines. Events included high-level strategy meetings with 31 companies in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, as well as organized bus tours through California's San Joaquin Valley at the height of the cotton harvest season.

As part of the Cleaner Cotton Campaign strategy, SCP founder Will Allen, and fashion designer Lynda Grose traveled to New York, Seattle, Portland (OR), London and Frankfurt, Germany, to educate manufacturers of sportswear, mass merchandise, men's and women's apparel and home textiles via a slide presentation and the opportunity to share their hands-on expertise.
Among the larger companies that attended the San Joaquin Valley harvest tours was Gastonia, North Carolina-based Parkdale Mills, one of the largest mills in the U.S. which already spins the organic cotton yarns used by Patagonia and Nike. Eddie Bauer, the Redmond, WA-based casual active wear manufacturer, also sent representatives to explore incorporating organic cotton into its product lines.

"It's been exciting to see the number and breadth of companies interested in organic cotton," says Sandra Marquardt, Project Coordinator of the OTA's Organic Fiber Council and co-coordinator of the SCP Fall tours. The Organic Trade Association is the business association representing the organic agriculture industry in North America.

The tours were a collaborative effort between SCP and outdoor apparel maker Patagonia, which converted its entire cotton sportswear division exclusively to 100% organically grown cotton in 1996. This transformation was largely a result of company founder Yvon Chouinard's belief that organic cotton is a viable economic system.

While Patagonia uses 100% organic fibers in its cotton lines, other major companies have chosen to 'blend' organic cotton into their products. Nike, for example, blended 3% organic cotton into more than 20 million T-shirts in 1998, with plans to include organic cotton in all of its cotton products by 2003. Levi Strauss purchased over 330,000 pounds of organic cotton in 1998 to blend in with their 501 jeans."Whether a company chooses to go 100% organic, or blends a percentage of organic fibers with its conventional cotton, it is making important strides in encouraging a healthy environment by supporting organic agriculture," said Marquardt.

Among many quantifiable Cleaner Cotton Campaign objectives is to from 5000 acres in 1997 to 40,000 acres of organic cotton being grown in California by the year 2003. In addition, SCP and the OTA's Organic Fiber Council are working to stimulate the organic cotton market throughout the U.S. and internationally. According to recent OTA/OFC estimates, organic cotton is being grown on almost 9,000 acres in 5 states in the U.S.* (Arizona, California, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas), as well as in 17 other countries throughout the world.** Companies interested in purchasing organic cotton for spring 2000 collections are encouraged to contact mills in March 1999 at the latest, to ensure an adequate supply.

By placing orders with mills, companies can give the farmers the economic incentives they need to grow organic cotton," says Will Allen, SCP Executive Director. "And by using the economic models that are already succeeding in the marketplace, we can move organic cotton from a niche market to a mainstream market."

* = Estimated U.S. Organic Cotton Acreage: 1998 (Certified and Transitional)
** = World Organic Cotton Production 1992 - 1997 (in tons)